New Student Orientation

Welcome new students! We look forward to meeting you in person in late August. New Student Orientation seeks to integrate all incoming first-year and transfer students into the academic and social communities at Kenyon.

Orientation is your opportunity to connect with faculty members, hear about Kenyon roles and traditions and establish relationships with your peers.

You have been assigned both a faculty advisor and a student Orientation Leader, both of whom are committed to facilitating your positive transition to life as a Kenyon student. During Orientation, you will be introduced to academic expectations, the diversity of the place, and the importance of community as a whole, both within Kenyon and beyond Gambier.

Orientation virtual panels

We invite you to join members of our community in a pair of virtual panels as part of our Orientation programming.

Planning Your Academic Journey:
Thursday, August 6, 7 p.m. EDT — watch the recording
This panel is intended for students, though families are welcome to join.

Helping Your Students Make the Most of Their Kenyon Experience:
Wednesday, August 12, 7 p.m. EDT — watch the recording
This panel is intended for families, though students are welcome to join.

NEXT STEPS AND When to Arrive

An updated course catalog will be available shortly. Faculty advisors will reach out to new students to assist them in registering, with all course registrations for fall completed by Aug. 17.

New students will receive their housing assignments the week of Aug. 3. Please watch your Kenyon email for a message from the Office of Residential Life with details.

New students should arrive Aug. 26-28 (except for international students entering from outside the U.S., who should arrive Aug. 17). Kenyon will conduct a phased move-in, with assigned dates and time slots — reservations for these slots can be made in early August. All students will be tested for COVID-19 upon arrival.

More key dates can be found here; please contact orientation@kenyon.edu with any questions.

what to bring with you

Because students may be in residence for only one term, students should plan to take their belongings at the end of the semester or arrange to store them at their own expense. In addition, students may need to relocate in the event they test positive for COVID-19, or if the College needs to send students home. For all these reasons, we strongly encourage students to consider carefully what they are bringing to campus, and to pack as lightly as possible. A list of packing suggestions can be found here.